Basement Waterproofing after Hurricane Sandy in Pine Beach, NJ

Tuesday, August 18th, 2015 by Sarah Gozick

Challenge

Hurricane Sandy was a nightmare for many New Jersey homeowners. Areas near the shore were hit hard, including a Pine Beach homeowner whose house flooded in the storm. Years later, she was still having problems with water in her basement. It was musty, damp, and had a terrible odor that was causing the homeowner breathing problems. Constantly, she heard the motor of her sump pump running, and was afraid to leave the house for extended periods of time in case it flooded while she was away. Feeling like a prisoner in her own home she knew she needed help and called Quality 1st Basement Systems to inspect the problem and save her damaged basement.

Solution

Inspector Anthony Gaetano found a century old home with stone walls and standing water puddles in three areas. The sump pump was old, not working to capacity, and the smell of the basement was atrocious. The floor was not only wet and dangerous, it was full of iron ore deposits. Exposed wall beams were wet and moldy, posing a threat to the structure of the home. Saving this home required a WaterGuard drainage system, a TripleSafe sump pump, a SaniDry dehumidifier and a PowerBrace Support system. WaterGuard is a patented drainage system that will not clog with dirt and mud. It was installed along the full perimeter of the basement, where it will collect water from the footing of the wall and divert it to the new TripleSafe sump pump. Unlike the homeowner’s old sump pump, the TripleSafe has three pumps and a battery back up. In case the power goes out during a storm, the battery back up will kick on and continue to pump water out of the basement. The SaniDry dehumidifier was installed to provide a dry environment where mold will not grow. The SaniDry dehumidifier filters out mold spores and dust mites, leaving the air cleaner and smelling much better.

In order to install the WaterGuard drainage system, the unused wall studs needed to be cut away. The wall studs were partially supporting the main beams in the basement ceiling, so Power Brace supports were installed to reinforce the beams. With Power Brace supports the beams will not weaken or cave and will support the house safely. Together all of these products were the best solution to draining the high volume of water in this shore home and will prevent any more flooding no matter what future weather may bring. The homeowner now has peace of mind, and keeps mentioning how happy she is that she had Quality 1st Basement Systems fix her basement. She no longer worries about the space when it rains, knowing that the water will always be diverted to the TripleSafe sump pump and away from her house. The basement is now used for storage, and her breathing problems are fixed because of the better air quality. She is thankful for working with Catholic Charities to held fund this project, and the Quality 1st Basement Systems team was happy to help.